Final Score: Pirates 12 A’s 4
Why The Pirates Won: About 3 games ago, the 1, 2, and 4 hitters went 0 for 14 with 9 strikeouts. Last night, those same hitters went 6 for 11 with 1 home run, 2 doubles, 9 RBIs, and zero strikeouts. Ryan O’Hearn led the way, going 3 for 5 with a home run and 6 runs batted in. The Pirates returned the favor to the A’s, blowing them out and taking the series. Braxton Ashcraft pitched a good 6 innings, giving up 2 runs, only 1 earned, on 3 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 7 while throwing 93 pitches. The bullpen gave up a couple of solo home runs but never really let the A’s back in the game. It was a nice, easy win for the Pirates.
Key Moments In The Game: The Pirates set the tone early on both sides of the ball, something they have not done in a long time. They opened the game with three doubles and a walk to take a 3-0 lead. In the second inning, they put together a single, a double, and two more singles to extend the lead to 5-0. Ashcraft started out just as hot, not allowing a hit through the first 13 batters he faced. The Pirates added two runs in the fourth to make it 7-0. The A’s cut the lead to five in the sixth inning. The Pirates exploded for five runs in the top of the seventh, all started by a leadoff homer by Marcell Ozuna. More on him tomorrow. The Pirates head to Colorado with their first series win in the last four.
Next game: Tomorrow night, Rockies in Colorado. The Rockies are 19 games under .500. You have to feel the Pirates must take at least 2 out of 3. It is always a little scary when you play a team that is doing poorly. This is also the site of one of the worst losses in Pirate history when they lost to the Rockies 17 to 16 after they had a 9 or 10 run lead. I admit I did not look it up; it is just too painful. Tomorrow, I will have some random thoughts on these Pittsburgh Pirates as they continue to fight for a playoff spot.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 